Downeast Medal Finals

June 2025

September 11-14, 2025

Visit our website for more information about Downeast. We welcome all feedback and suggestions: please email Ginger at ginger@downeastmedalfinals.com

To all of our friends and colleagues, the following was written about the Downeast Medal Finals by one of our judges. We could not be prouder of all of our efforts to provide the riders of Maine and New England a final that offers a “big” horse show feel at an affordable cost. If you can, please think about becoming a sponsor to help us give even more to these deserving riders!

“Often times good things evolve when people ignore the sensible patterns and odds of success. Most equine business people can identify the role location plays in running a competitive barn. Sensible people know that a pin placed on a major financial city can be the starting marker around which the equine industry revolves. Typically a circle drawn showing a ninety minute commute from this center will include the horse show worlds top barns. Another ninety minute circle includes top privately funded barns but less commercial stables. A third circle adding ninety more minutes includes mostly grass roots stables and hobby barns who are supported by a variety of supplemental incomes from outside of barn activities. You could call the inner circle the blue zone. Circle two the red zone. The third circle yellow and so on. Many yellow or white areas begin to overlap with additional financial hubs.

This model of show barns would color Maine as pink or green. Skowhegan, Maine would approach purple. No “sensible" horseman would introduce, nurture and evolve an inspired level of year end horse show finals in such an area. It simply would not fit the pattern.

Ten years ago several Maine trainers lost their sense of logic. They started with nothing. Today they have a finals that any trainer, rider, child or adult should be proud to be a part of. A happy New England town hosts this ambitious group of defiant horse show fans. Nice stables. A well decorated covered arena with good footing and a strong jump inventory. Sound system, vip tables, tidy seating, lights in the schooling area, finals quality score board, sponsored signs, and the people. Hard working, knowledgeable, kind, early rising people.

Then, of course, there are the horses and riders. I had the pleasure of co-judging and course designing for the tenth anniversary finals. I had done this for years six and seven as well. Every finals shows visible growth. Many of these entries would be at home at a Massachusetts finals, a Connecticut finals and even the very strong New England finals. The percentage of exhibitors with well rubbed on horses and correct riding basics dramatically increased from my last view of them three years ago.

I offered questions of track, boldness, and balance of increasing difficulty over the three days. Many stepped up and scored strong 80’s. Some went home with homework and mileage. All were exposed to a finals focused on the horse, self reliance, respect for the sport, and a will to embrace their own finals to be proud of.

Well done Downeast Medal Finals.”

-Ken Whelihan

Become a Downeast Medal Finals Sponsor:

All levels accepted and appreciated!

Visit www.downeastmedalfinals.com for more information.

For more information, to list your show with Downeast qualifying classes, to be featured as a Downeast spotlight rider, or to become a sponsor, please email Ginger at ginger@downeastmedalfinals.com.

Horse Health: Should I Use Hot or Cold Therapy?

Andy Kaneps, DVM

Practical Horseman

Question: If my horse has an injury, how do I know if I should use cold treatment (i.e., hosing) or heat treatment?

Answer: Thermal therapy—applying either hot or cold treatments—is one of the most accessible and time-tested remedies for injuries in horses. Cold therapy is generally used for recent injuries, within two to seven days of the occurrence. It is particularly effective during the first 24 to 48 hours after surgery or injuries such as sprains or strains of joints or tendons, bruises, cellulitis and lymphangitis. Cooling a horse’s tissue temperature below about 66 degrees Fahrenheit reduces pain, edema (swelling) and bleeding and slows down the inflammatory response. It also diminishes the severity of laminitis.

Even uninjured horses can benefit from cold therapy. After heavy exercise sessions, such as gallops or strenuous jump schools, ice treatments reduce low-grade inflammation, alleviate discomfort and prevent limb edema. Nearly every baseball pitcher undergoes a post-game ice bath on the pitching arm for the same reasons.

Heat therapy—warming tissue to between 104 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit—is more commonly used for chronic issues. In most cases, it should not be applied until after the acute inflammation has subsided, about seven days after an injury or surgery. It, too, decreases pain while also increasing local circulation, which may accelerate healing. Heat therapy is especially beneficial for wound healing. Horses experiencing strained back/topline muscles (who are usually hypersensitive to palpation of the area) enjoy the relief heat provides by reducing muscle spasms. When used in conjunction with careful stretching techniques, heat can increase joint mobility and improve tissue elasticity, which can be useful, for example, to elongate foals’ contracted tendons. Heat therapy also helps to soften the skin over an abscess to draw out fluid.

Read the rest of the article here.

If you are a Downeast Medal Finals rider, we would like to feature you! Send your bio and picture to ginger@downeastmedalfinals.com

Upcoming Shows with DMF Qualifying Classes

Qualifying for DMF 2025:

June 1 Tri-County Horsemen, Union, ME

June 1 East Ridge Stables, Charleston, ME

June 7 NHHJA Show Series, Fremont, NH

June 8 Graystone Stables, Berwick, ME

June 14 Seacoast Show Series, Fremont, NH

June 14 Life’s A Ride Equestrian Center, Saco, ME

June 21 NHHJA Show Series, Fremont, NH

June 21-22 MHA Downeast Horse Congress, Skowhegan, ME

June 22 Lucky Clover Stables, Sanford, ME

June 28 Autumn Sky Farm, Newbury, MA

June 29 Graystone Stables, Berwick, ME

July 1-6 NHHJA Summer Festival, Halifax, MA

July 5 Life’s A Ride Equestrian Center, Saco, ME

July 9-13 GMHA Summer Hunter Jumper Show, Woodstock, VT

July 12 East Ridge Stables, Charleston, ME

July 13 Maine Hunter Jumper Association Summer Classic, TBD

July 19 NHHJA Show Series, Fremont, NH

July 20 Lucky Clover Stables, Sanford, ME

July 20 MHA MidCoast Classic, Topsham, ME

July 26 Seacoast Show Series, Fremont, NH

July 27 Graystone Stables, Berwick, ME

Want to see your show listed here? Fill out our Downeast Classes Form to host our classes!

Become a Downeast Medal Finals Sponsor:

All levels accepted and appreciated!

Visit www.downeastmedalfinals.com for more information.

For more information or to become a sponsor, please email Ginger at ginger@downeastmedalfinals.com.

Thank you to Spotted Vision Photography, It's A Horse Life Photography, Hillary Turner, and Riitta Fortier for providing us with many wonderful photographs from the Downeast Medal Finals.